Posted by Francesco on November 21, 2003, at 11:52:54
In reply to Re: An Idea » JLx, posted by DSCH on November 21, 2003, at 9:17:50
> > I used to have a vague idea that we had a "self" that meds/supplements/whatever altered one way or another -- more my "true" self, or not.
> >
> > I don't think that way anymore. I think we're a product of our brain chemistry -- alter that and our "Self" is altered.
> >
> > I found this a bit depressing at first -- Am "I" only chemical soup? -- but now I think of it as potentially continued renewal. ;)
>
> (Let me preface all of the following with IMO, IMHO, maybe, and/or YMMV so I can use direct language for a change.)
>
> I think you need to look at in layers of scale and in time.
>
> Scale: you are not a monolith but a society of (usually, ideally) cooperating subroutines. And ultimately all of these rest upon the fuctioning of individual neurons. 'Self' as a seamless construct is an interesting illusion projected at some level of our consciousness, probably to make us 'saner' and less prone to detached self-exploration back when there was food to be gathered and game to be hunted.
>
> Time: you won't alter your memories, so in that sense you retain continuity with who you were. You may alter how you reflect on them though.I totally agree also with DSCH with just one more thing to add. We need to talk about "selves" if we want to understand each other. Ordinary language is necessarily inaccurate but his inaccuracy is useful for many purposes.
poster:Francesco
thread:272902
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20031104/msgs/282105.html